<p>I'm currently deciding between applying restrictive early action to Stanford or ED to Pomona. Stanford is my top choice, but I have legacy at Pomona and have heard that my chances will greatly increase if I apply ED. Obviously, I like both schools quite a bit, so from a purely cost-benefit point of view, it seems that applying ED to Pomona is the right choice, but I feel like I might be missing out. </p>
<p>GPA: 3.73 unweighted, 4.3 weighted w/ significant grade deflation ("Top-Tier" Private School)
SAT: CR-800 W-760 M-730
SAT II:
-760 Bio M
-720 Lit</p>
<p>APs:
Bio-5
Lit-5
French-4
Physics-5</p>
<p>ECs: -Intern at Stanford's Cardiothoracic Surgical Skills Internship (CSSSI, having rec. written by head of transplant department at Stanford hospital)
-Intern for Plastic Surgeon doing interny things: filing, streamlining patient photo services, watching surgeries, cleaning instruments)
-Women's Varsity Volleyball Assistant Coach (3yrs)
-Varsity Volleyball Captain (2yrs)
-Club Volleyball (2yrs)
-Trumpet with Youth Orchestra and Jazz Band (4 years, 14 years total)
-Sitting board member of Teen Foundation that raises funds and grants money to various NPOs, with a focus on those helping at-risk youth and public health (2yrs)
-'Prefect' (aka Senior Adviser) --1 of 12 seniors chosen by faculty to help assimilate Freshmen into high school. I organize activities for them, give them general advice on navigating high school, etc.
-'Peer Facilitator' -- 1 of 30 seniors chosen by faculty to lead bi-monthly meetings with group of 20 high schoolers (9th-12th) to discuss gender issues, racial issues, social equity issues, and current events/policy</p>
<p>Just looking for some advice from the CC community on where I fall and how to go about making this decision. What are my chances applying to Standford EA? RD? What about Pomona ED and RD?</p>
<p>Best of luck to all you out there, I hope to see you soon :)</p>
<p>That’s a tough call. You’d stand a better chance at ED Pomona. If you got into Pomona ED, would you always have a nagging feeling that you should’ve applied to Stanford or would you be happy? I’m not sure legacy status helps during RD; at least that’s what I heard. HOWEVER, we toured Pomona a few years ago and were told they cap their ED acceptances to about 33%, so applying early there only gives the advantage that you’re done early. Applying to Stanford early does seem to give an advantage in the acceptance rate, although they tell you your chances are generally the same, it’s just that stronger applicants tend to apply early.
Again, tough call.
You may just have to go with your gut on this one. Sorry I couldn’t be more definitive!</p>
<p>Thank you for the thoughtful reply! I know I would be happy at Pomona, I just have a bit of fomo about Stanford (I think id be a bit happier there). I feel like I’ll get into Pomona ED so perhaps that’s the way to go.</p>
<p>You’ll never know if you would have been accepted to Stanford if you are accepted ED to Pomona. Are you sure your odds of being accepted will really improve significantly if you apply ED? A strong legacy candidate should have excellent odds at Pomona RD. If so, I doubt they will be much greater if you apply early. That’s just a guess though, do you have more concrete information? Your scores are already at about the 75% of attending students at Pomona so it’s clear you are not an average candidate.</p>
<p>Regarding your GPA, on the surface it’s low for these schools, but if your school is well known to both Stanford and Pomona, they will be also know that a 3.73 at your school is equivalent to a much higher GPA at other schools. Does your school have a history of sending students to these schools? If so, then you should definitely be asking about the past acceptance history from your school…it’s likely that someone there (college counselor or guidance counselor) can tell you how your qualifications compare to those accepted in previous years.</p>
<p>My personal recommendation - apply SCEA to Stanford. It’s your top choice, you appear to be a strong candidate, and your odds of being accepted are exactly zero if you don’t apply or have to withdraw your application. I think you are likely to be accepted to Pomona whether you apply ED or RD. I can’t imagine why they would reject you, if your essays are good and you have strong recommendations.</p>
<p>Bldrdad has some good advice. Just remember, even as a top student with fantastic scores and ECs, there are no guarantees in this increasingly competitive world of college acceptances. So, make sure you still have some safety schools you’d be happy to attend. Best of luck and let us know what you decide. </p>
<p>Thank you for the input, it’s very encouraging and I will definitely talk my counselor on Monday for past student histories. You’re definitely a good motivator!</p>
<p>@Renomamma </p>
<p>Of course I have some safeties and targets that I know I will also be very happy with. Of course where I go to college is not going to make or break my life. I do appreciate the reminder that, even if everything points to a possible acceptance, nothing is certain.</p>
<p>@jawlove - You appear to be approaching this the right way. Whether you get into these two schools or not, I am sure you will end up somewhere you’ll be excited to attend. Good luck!</p>
<p>My D faced the same choice except she is legacy at Stanford. She has decided to apply ED1 to Pomona because it is her true first choice. But it sounds like you are more conflicted. Another option is Stanford SCEA followed by Pomona ED2 if you are deferred or rejected by Stanford.</p>
<p>Do odds change a lot between ED1 and ED2?
Thanks for the idea!</p>
<p>@sirswish7 </p>
<p>What makes you say that? As you can see I’ve heard from others that there is a difference between ED and RD but that it isn’t huge. I’m curious why you say otherwise.</p>
<p>You should probably ask the ED1 vs ED2 question on the Pomona board. I’m certainly no expert, but the impression I’ve gotten is that the ED1 acceptance rate is higher than ED2. What gets murky (at least to me) is how the athletes/Questbridge/Posse applicants affect the ED acceptance rate.</p>